The Avatar is Alive
by CrimeLord
Summary: The Avatar is alive, Zuko is obsessed, and Mai is left watching him hunt a ghost. Yeah, the summary is awful, but the story is better God help us if it wasn't.


**Inspired by The Headband, when Zuko magically discovered the Avatar is alive. Takes place a few years after the series ends. Enjoy and don't forget to review.**

**Manditory Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender. Deal with it.**

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The Fire Nation palace was in an uproar. Prince Zuko had just returned, and Fire Lady Azula had given strict orders that everything he desired was to be supplied immediately. After giving orders to the servants on what needed to be put on the ship and what was under no circumstances to be allowed (Zuko had warned that if a single musical instrument was found on the ship, he would personally hunt down whoever was responsible), Zuko had a few hours to spend. After a formal meeting with his sister, and an annoying encounter with Ty Lee, Zuko decided to visit the inner garden he found so peaceful.

To his surprise, he found Mai sitting on the grass lazily watching the ducks. Three years had changed Mai, turning her into a beautiful young woman. She still favored long black robes, and she wore one now. "Hello Mai" the hardened prince said.

Mai turned around, motioning for Zuko to sit beside her. Three years had also changed Zuko. One of the few things that had not changed was the scar; Zuko still possessed the mark of his father's disgust. "Hello, Zuko" Mai said, in a monotone that revealed nothing about her emotions.

Zuko sat down next to Mai and stared at the pond. Two years ago, the ducks had died and nobody had bothered to replace them. Zuko looked wistfully at the empty pond before focusing on Mai. "How did you know I would come here?"

"You always come here." It was true, the garden held many memories for Zuko, and he visited the place every time he returned to the palace. "Will you be staying long?" Mai asked with an air of indifference.

"No. Just until I reload my ship. Then, I will continue my search." As always. For three years, Zuko had been hunting for the Avatar, returning to the palace only long enough to gather more supplies. Then he was off, back to hunting the Avatar.

"You don't have to go. Azula said you could stay."

Despite some of Zuko's less-than-loyal behavior, Fire Lady Azula had given him a full pardon. She also continued to not only encourage but actively support Zuko's hunts for the Avatar. Maybe it was because of Zuko's actions on that final day, an hour before Sozin's comet arrived and the Avatar fell. Maybe something inside the ruthless leader felt a bit of pity for her brother. Maybe it appealed to her sadistic sense of humor. Knowing Azula, it was probably the third reason.

"Azula also said that she would support me in my hunt for the Avatar." Mai knew that Azula didn't truly believe that the Avatar was alive. She had even said so once, the last time Zuko had returned to restock his ship. But Azula was content to let Zuko keep searching; "Of course it's hopeless. But Zuzu lives for hopeless fights" Azula had once said in an amused tone.

"You were there. You saw what happened. How your father channeled the power of the comet. The blast turned the throne room into a crater. No one could survive that."

"We never found a body." It was always the same argument.

"The water peasant took what was left. The fire was hot enough to melt the metal off the door. Not even the Avatar could survive that." The Fire Lord, a man who had spent decades honing his fire bending abilities, couldn't survive. How could a child who spent a few weeks learning a few basic firebending moves, do any better?

"He survived being struck by lightning. The water bender, she had special water. She could heal him." One of the few times Azula had failed. In the end though, Azula had ended up the winner. The Avatar had fallen, and she was the one sitting on the throne, just like she always wanted.

"No amount of bending, no amount of magic water, no amount of anything can raise the dead. Your uncle learned that a long time ago; why won't you let dead spirits rest?" Mentioning the late General Iroh usually prompted Zuko to think for a moment, or at least provided a moment of angry silence. Today was no exception.

"The Avatar isn't dead. I just know it. He's out there. And I'm going to find him." This was the second time Zuko was hunting an Avatar that nobody expected him to find. The first time, after three long years of searching, Zuko had found his Avatar and proven them wrong. But the hunt had taken its toll on the once-noble prince. He found his Avatar, but had lost a bit of himself in return.

"And where 'out there' is he? Two years ago, he was training in secret, preparing for the next solar eclipse. Last year, he was leading the Earth Kingdom rebels, getting ready to reclaim Ba Sing Se. You've checked the North Pole, the South Pole, every major city in the Earth Kingdom, the Air Temples, tell me where is he this year?"

Zuko remained silent; he had no answer, and no starting point. After retracing every single place the Avatar had gone, Zuko was reduced to aimless wandering.

"Why? Why do you insist on chasing a phantom, a spirit?" Why?

"I need to. My honor…." Honor. Zuko connected his honor with his failure to capture a twelve year old child.

"And is that honor more important than staying here. More important than me?"

Zuko doesn't answer this last question. Mai liked to think he refused to answer because he was unsure of his answer and his feelings. Sometimes though, she wondered if he knew the answer, and simply wished to spare her feelings.

Zuko began walking away, unwilling to continue the conversation. As he reached the edge of the garden, he looked back on Mai, who hadn't moved an inch. Turning his back, he left the courtyard. He began mentally listing what he will need to acquire before he could continue his search. It wasn't a long list, and it shouldn't take more than a few hours. Sighing to himself, he began talking, even though there was nobody there to listen.

"The Avatar is alive."

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